Day 17: A Passionate Gaze
Day 17: A Passionate Gaze is the 17th chapter in the Midori Days Manga and the 7th chapter of the second volume. Summary Kota remembers Midori awakening, and decides he needs to meet with Seiji to fix this problem. He finds three men on a street and assumes that thyey know Seiji because they're delinquents, but they do not take well to the insult and kidnap Kota. Meanwhile Seiji is at a restaurant lamenting life. Plot The chapter starts with Kota looking at a photo of Midori. He thinks about how she had awoken once, but fell back to sleep so quickly. Her mother had worked very hard, but she didn't stay awake. Even when she was awake, he noted it was like she had "no soul", a body on auto-pilot with no feeling. He thinks about how great Midori's smile was, and is suddenly reminded of when Seiji told him he was too busy to help. Kota decides he's going to ask Seiji again, but this time he will try far harder to convince him. We're then shown a splash page of Kota holding a photo (while in his school clothes, and looking back to the reader with a calm but confused look. Determined to find Seiji, but unsure where he lives. He decides his best bet is to hope Seiji is still at school, and starts heading to Sakurada Mon High School. While on his way, he passes three men on the sidewalk. The three men seem to be mentioning Seiji and laughing, and Kota comes to the conclusion that they must be Seiji's friends. Kota approaches the three men and asks them if they're friends of Seiji's When they demand to know who he is, he gives them his full name: "I'm Kota Shingyoji from Ogura Bashi High School".He states what he thought earlier, that he needs to find Seiji, but doesn't know his residence. The three men give Kota very threatening stares as they ask him if people with these kinds of faces would be Seiji's pals, and Kota, without any tact or common sense, responds with "Sure! I mean, after all, you guys... ARE delinquents just like he is, right?". The three men pause for a second, then become incredibly angry. They demand to know if Kota thinks this is funny, and states it's rude for him to just make a comment like that when they don't even know him. Kota seems confused and apologizes if he said something offensive, however the three men state they're going to show him some manners. As they haul Kota off, Osamu overhears the situation from nearby. At a local restaurant with a lot of couples, Seiji is sitting with Midori. He laments his life, wondering why he picked a "lovey-dovey joint" to go eat, as he looks like a guy sitting all by himself. He asks nobody in particular if there's a girl that'll fall in love with him. Midori is quick to point to herself and say he has her. Seiji looks at her for a second, and asks again if a girl will ever fall in love with him, which seems to confuse and sadden Midori. The waitress drops his coffee off to the table. He takes a look at her, barette in her hair, tiny bowtie around her collar, wearing a cute checkered apron with a white shirt, and a large bosom. He immediately flashes with glee, mentally noting she's his type. As she walks away to continue her job, Midori looks down at her much-smaller bust, clearly jealous and disappointed. Seiji completely changes his opinion from earlier, thinking this place is the best. Midori grabs Seiji's attention and tries to make a sexy pose, pushing her arms into her chest so her breasts pop a little further in her shirt, however Seiji clearly doesn;t get it and asks her what she wants which disappoints her further. It's at this point that Osamu enters the restaurant and finds Seiji inside. He runs over to Seiji and tells him there's a problem. Apparently some guy was looking for him, and upset a bunch of guys from the Makube Commerce School. Seiji asks if Osamu was sure he was looking for him, and Osamu assures him it was some rich middle school kid. Seiji thinks for a second, but admits he doesn't know any rich guys, and this has him and Osamu laugh for a second as they realize how silly it is that someone with a high intellect and money would ever be looking for Seiji. Seiji laughs about it, but quickly hits Osamu over the head when he realizes he's been insulted. At that moment, an image of Kota flashes through Seiji's head, and he panics. He demands to know if Osamu was sure it was the guys from Makube Commerce School, and Osamu assures him, stating they hang out at a place behind a bowling alley. The scene then switches to said bowling alley, and Kota is inside with the grang, now numbring five people. Kota has been stripped down to his briefs, and he asks sternly for an explanation, as he still apparently doesn't understand what he did to warrant this kind of response. He admits he may have been rude, but their reaction has been unwarranted and ridiculous. He gives a rousing speech about how violence never leads to positive results, and that human speech is a much greater weapon. To become a better person, they must use their speech to get along "here on this vast spaceship we call Earth!". Obviously not buying any of Kota's speech, they duct tape his mouth shut. They come to the conclusion that they have a score with Seiji to settle, and if this guy is a friend of Seiji's, then perhaps they can use him and lure Seiji to an ambush to get revenge. Seiji, overhearing the whole thing, simply strolls in and tells them they don't need to go through the trouble as he is right here. Seiji tells them they're scumbags, and that he has no idea who the guy they kidnapped even is (clearly lying for Kota's sake). He tells them if they ever want a fight, just come directly to him and ask. He takes the tape off of Kota's mouth asks if he's okay, and gives him his blazer to cover up, saying he'll untie him in a moment. The gang certainly doesn't respond well to Seiji's bravado, and prepare to lay waste to him right here. The scene switches to the outside of the building, and when it comes back, Seiji has single-handedly taken the gang out. He unties Kota's hands, and states he heard that Kota was looking for him. Kota tells him it's not for him, but for a friend of his named Midori. Seiji responds with the fact that there are enemies out for Seiji, and that if Kota wants to stay safe, then to "stay the hell away" from him. As he leaves, Kota asks if he wants his jacket back, however Seiji simply states Kota can't walk home in nothing but his underwear, and that he can keep it. Kota thinks about what a great guy Seiji trul is, and he sees why Midori likes him so much. As he thinks about it, his face flushes red as he loses himself in the moment. Midori looks back to Kota covertly, and knowing Kota can't hear her, she thinks as if speaking to him, telling him she'll be fine and that she wishes to be this way a little longer. Her internal dialogue is interrupted when she notices the smile across Kota's face, stars in his eyes, face blushed, and imagining outlines of angels playing instruments around Kota's head. She is immediately caught off guard, grabs Seiji, and whispers loudly to run fast. She begins dragging a confused Seiji, as the narration box says "The gleam in Kota's eyes... was just enough to make Midori worried!". Notes *On the first page the name "Hitachi" can be seen on a sign, likely Hitachi ltd. *One of the Makube Commerce School Gang members is wearing a shirt underneath a jacket with the letters "NIKI" visible. *The restaurant sign that Seiji goes to is one of the few times the VIZ release does not translate the japanese on a sign that is fully on the panel and large enough to see. *A man in the restaurant is wearing a jacket that says "GARGOYL" *Osamu says that the gang operates behind a bowling alley, however the next scene clearly shows the gang operates inside of the derelict bowling alley. *This is the first chapter to introduce Kota's homosexuality. Category:Chapters involving Kota Category:Manga Chapters Category:Volume 2